A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of immunology. More specifically, the present invention relates to immune complexes and the expression and use of recombinant proteins containing multiple hinge and CH2 regions of immunoglobulins.
B. Description of Related Art
Immune complexes (IC) exhibit diverse biological activities; some that contribute to disease whereas others ameliorate disease. Deposition of IgG containing IC on tissue surfaces, as for example in glomeruli, can contribute to the pathogenesis of antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases. On the other hand, IC can favorably modulate T- and B-cell activation pathways via binding to Fc receptors expressed on immunocytes. Aggregated IgG (AIG) shares many features and biological activities with IC. Both modulate T-cell suppressor function (Antel of al., 1981; Durandy et al., 1981), cytokine synthesis, IgG secretion, and lymphocyte proliferation (Berger et al., 1997; Wiesenhutter et al., 1984; Ptak et al., 2000).
Monomeric IgG, or the Fc fragment thereof, ameliorates disease progression in animal models of autoimmune disease (Miyagi et al., 1997; Gomez-Guerrero et al., 2000). Monomeric IgG is widely used therapeutically, usually in massive doses, to treat antibody-mediated diseases in man. The protective effect in antibody-mediated diseases may be achieved in part through blockade of FcγRs such that binding of IC to them is impeded (Clynes et al., 1998). IgG administration also favorably affects the course of T-cell mediated autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (Fazekas et al. 1997; Sorensen et al., 1998; Achiron et al., 1998). Here the basis for benefit is poorly understood though it is postulated to involve the increased production of anti-inflammatory cytokines initiated by binding of IV IgG, or complexes derived therefrom, to FcγR. In both antibody and T-cell mediated processes the mechanisms and consequences of FcγR engagement are fundamental to the understanding and treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Aggregated IgG has been proposed as a treatment for autoimmune diseases of humans. The use of aggregated IgG has been studied as a treatment for multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases. However, aggregated IgG has major limitations. IgG is commonly aggregated by exposure to heat; the resultant aggregates are bound together in a random fashion limiting reproducibility from one preparation to the next. Preparations contain a heterogeneous collection of aggregates of varying size in diverse conformations.
The formation of immunoglobulin fusion proteins is known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,714,147 and 5,455,165 disclose novel hybrid immunoglobulin molecules and the expression vectors encoding them. These chimeric molecules are used in improving the circulating plasma half-life of ligand binding molecules, and comprise a lymphocyte homing receptor fused to an immunoglobulin constant region. Homo or hetero-dimers or tetramer hybrid immunoglobulins containing predominantly the heavy and light constant regions of immunoglobulin are used. U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,310 discloses FAS ligand fusion proteins comprising a polylpeptide capable of specifically binding an antigen or cell surface marker for use in treatment of autoimmune disorders. The fusion protein preferably comprises IgG2 or IgG4 isotype, and may comprise antibodies with one or more domains, such as the CH2, CH1 or hinge deleted. Majeau et al. (1994) discusses Ig fusion proteins used for the inhibition of T cell responses. These fusion proteins comprise IgG1 and LFA-3. Eilat et al. (1992) disclose a soluble chimeric Ig heterodimer produced by fusing TCR chains to the hinge region, CH2, and CH3 domains of human IgG1.
Immunoglobulin fusion proteins have been employed to express numerous proteins in mammalian and insect cells (Ashkenazi, et al., 1997). Fusion protein platforms can permit the introduction of additional functions, for example, inclusion of the amino-terminal CD8α domain may result in the co-ligation of FcR on lymphocytes to MHC I on antigen presenting cells (Alcover, et al., 1993; Meyerson, et al., 1996).
Other Ig proteins and variants have also been studied for their therapeutic effect on autoimmune diseases, including a recombinant polymeric IgG that mimics the complement activity of IgM (Smith and Morrison, 1994) where the polymeric IgG is formed by the polymerization of H2L2 subunits. Greenwood et al. (1993) discusses therapeutic potency relative to the structural motifs involving the human IgG antibodies, IgG1, IgG3, and IgG4. U.S. Pat. No. 5,998,166 discloses human FcγR-III variants, which can be used in the therapy and/or diagnosis of autoimmune diseases. U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,731 discloses novel expression vectors in which cell surface antigens cloned according to that invention have diagnostic and therapeutic utility in immune-mediated infections. Cell surface antigens that are used to regulate lymphocyte activation, achieve antigen aggregation in vitro by incubating lymphocytes with immobilized ligands or antibodies or their fragments (WO9942077). However, the aggregated IgG and Fc aggregates have limited reproducibility, containing a random and heterogeneous mixture of protein thereby limiting their effectiveness as therapeutic agents. Other problems include a lack of an ability to target a number of cell types with a single agent and size limitations.